This application relates to gaming machines or terminals and security provisions therefore. In particular, the application relates to improved methods and apparatus for affording to authorized persons access to secure areas of gaming machines.
Gaming machines or terminals, such as slot machines, typically include a number of secure or locked areas which are accessible only to authorized personnel. As used herein “area” may refer to a region closed by a door, or a lockable device, such as a switch. Such areas may include storage hoppers and overflow “drop” boxes for coins, currency, tokens or other valuable items used in playing a game, bill or ticket storage stackers, operating mechanisms, electronic control panels, auxiliary equipment such as printers, and so forth. Access to a given machine may be required from time to time by any of a number of different persons, e.g., currency-handling personnel for filling and emptying coin hoppers, drop boxes or bill stackers, service personnel for performing routine maintenance or service functions, repair technicians for correcting malfunctions, and the like. Since most such personnel require access to fewer than all of the available secure areas of a machine, and since it is desired to limit access to machine areas as much as possible for security reasons, it is necessary to provide each such area with a separate lock. Heretofore, such locks have been mechanical devices which are unlocked with a mechanical key. Thus, for any given machine, a number of different keys may be required, and it may be necessary to provide multiple copies of any one key for different personnel, who may require access to an area for different reasons, or who work different shifts, or the like.
The existence of a large number of keys in circulation is an inherent security risk. Furthermore, when a gaming establishment needs to access many machines at a time, such as to do hopper fills or drop box services, most of the service time is spent searching for the proper keys to unlock the machines, which is inefficient and costly. Also, each time an employee leaves the employ of a gaming establishment, the gaming machines or areas thereof to which the employee had access must be re-keyed. This can constitute a significant expense.